The Hollywood insider (and wife of producer Mike) shares her experience at the We Care Spa in Desert Hot Springs, California — Cameron Diaz and Matthew McConaughey have stayed there — which costs about $3,500 for six days of extreme fasting and colonics.
What could be more extreme than awards season? Hosting and attending events, eating everything. I have Postmates-cheated on my husband with food at midnight. Craig's at midnight? Party on.
So after weeks of being dined and wined for artists going for their dreams, I headed to We Care Spa in Desert Hot Springs, California, a two-and-a half-hour drive from Los Angeles, for six days of extreme fasting and colonics (about $3,500). Now if you are used to La Quinta's Madison Club, get that image out of your head. There’s no golf course. No shopping. This is a wellness oasis which is as much about the people as the program.
The staff is exceptional. But detox juice-fasting is not for everyone. My friend Jamie Tisch, co-founder of the Women's Cancer Research Fund, lasted less than 24 hours, while producer-director Lysa Heslov (Served Like a Girl) added three days.
The great news is that We Care, opened in 1986 and owned by Susana Belen and Susan Lombardi, has added upgrades including 12 gorgeous new executive suites. Mine had a mountain view and a glorious bathtub and shower.
The private toilet space is completely necessary for what is happening inside your gut, and if you travel with a friend, you'd better have a Grace and Frankie relationship. I was with my girl Red Barris, a 12-year devotee who looks incredible.
As I waited for my last colonic, I could understand why so many beautiful actors (Cameron Diaz, Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer, Molly Sims) have come here: You actually shrink; I lost eight pounds. But the real goal is to change your habits. I know I will be coming back, maybe before Cannes.
A version of this story first appeared in the Feb. 26 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
